The Meaning of Courage
by Pseudo Twili
Summary: A young boy has just begun a quest which shall be vital to the people of Hyrule, but he finds that being a hero is not so easy. Just when he needs a helping hand, the keeper of the Kakariko graveyard rescues him and the two become the best of friends. From that point, Link confides everything in his father-figure and Dampé teaches him the meaning of true courage.
1. Part I: The Child Meeting

_This tale had its beginning as I was making use of a glitch exclusive to Ocarina of Time 3D. I was in the graveyard, collecting extra heart pieces in __the Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour. My mind wandered and I thought, "What if Link met Dampé near the beginning of his adventure and they became fast friends?" From there I imagined what might happen and I decided to write this story. Please enjoy!_

_The Legend of Zelda belongs to Nintendo, obviously._

**The Meaning of Courage-by Pseudo Twili**

Part I: The Child Meeting

Ebony fingers stretched across the sky; the red-winged blackbirds had ceased their serenades and slept with heads resting on inky plumage. The animals that daily roamed the broad expanse known as Hyrule Field were safely burrowed in their homes, sleeping away the darkness. Bits of faraway light filled the firmament, the winds whispered secrets of the morrow, and the lady of the night rose gracefully over the horizon.

Hardly a sound disturbed the peace of the field. An owl soared the sky on silent wings, searching for a his next meal. The mice scurried about less than they usually did and the wild cats kept their nightly prowls to a minimum. An evil presence was in the first stages of infecting Hyrule Field, leaving the animals uneasy and reluctant to roam because of the things that surfaced at night.

In the northwest portion of the field, a boy garbed in green strove to keep at bay the skeletal children who reached for him with bony fingers. These creatures were the stalchildren that came out to play when darkness fell; they wanted to drag the live boy into the depths of the earth that was their resting place. The little hero fought them as they surrounded him; when he spied an opening in their numbers, he scampered through it and on towards his destination. He shivered as his sword cleaved the skulls from their vertebrae; the bones of the undead children melted into the grassy plain.

Hovering around him was a miniscule winged girl surrounded by blue luminescence. "Watch out, Link!" she cried.

He ducked, just as a bony hand swiped at him and missed. Link made one last sweep with his sword and dashed up the stairs to the safety of Kakariko Village. Thankfully, the stalchildren were afraid to enter an area with torchlight and people; their tactics were to ambush lone travelers. They let the ground take their bones again, disappointment showing in their glowing crimson eyes.

A guard faithfully keeping his post glanced at Link as the boy tore through the gateway. Safe at last in the security of the townlet, Link let his sword fall to the ground and flopped down beside it, his breath escaping in great, ragged gasps.

"Link, are you all right?" the guardian fairy questioned anxiously.

He nodded, too exhausted to utter a word.

"Oh Link! I told you we should have stayed at Lon Lon Ranch," she berated him, but took pity when she glimpsed the fear that lay behind his eyes. "I'm only grateful that you're not hurt."

Navi landed on his shoulder and rubbed against his neck; her compassion pulsed like the light which surrounded her. His lashes fell and almost instantly he was asleep. For some time the only sound was Link's harsh breathing, which eased as he lay there. Navi felt herself drifting towards dreamland, but she shook herself and pulled at Link's ear.

"Link, wake up. You can't stay out here all night. Come on, wake up!"

"Go away," he muttered drowsily.

Navi persisted and finally roused him. He grabbed his sword, sheathed it, and then he and Navi searched for shelter. The houses were all dark and Navi felt that they would not receive much welcome so late at night. They wandered around and Link's steps grew heavier and more halting; he was almost out on his feet.

At last Navi found a house in a state of extreme disrepair and it seemed to be abandoned. Link tugged at the rusted doorknob and stumbled inside when it finally gave way. He let the dusty, cobwebby couch near the door claim him, without even bothering to remove his sword. Navi heard faint rustlings from deeper inside the house and she didn't want to learn what they were. She nestled into Link's warm hair and joined him in the place from which dreams come.

Late the next morning Link awoke and stared groggily at his surroundings. Through the dimness he could see the gray dust which covered every surface and the faded spiderwebs that spotted the walls and ceilings. He lifted his head from the green book which he had been using as a pillow and Navi pushed her way out from Link's mess of hair. She took to the air as he stretched and the soles of his boots met the floor.

"Come on, Link, let's get out of here," she urged him.

"I want to explore the house first," he argued.

"Well, since it's not so dark in here anymore... All right." She remained by his side as he wandered through the seemingly uninhabited home and discovered that in the depths lived a cursed family.

Sometime later Link emerged from the house. He and Navi tried to figure out which direction they should follow, since they had turned themselves about in the darkness and panic of the night before. He met a little boy not more than five years old, who carried a stick and marched about in a heavy-footed fashion.

"Who are you?" the youngster questioned curiously. "Why do you have a fairy?"

"I am Link and this is my guardian fairy, Navi."

"Where Link comes from, everyone has a fairy," Navi added.

"I want one too!" the small boy exclaimed. "Will you give me yours?"

"I'm sorry, but my task is to watch over Link. You have parents who watch over you, do you not?"

"Yes. My Mummy and Daddy take care of me. Daddy works as a soldier. Would you like to come home with me? My mum gives me yummy lunches and she'll give you one, too."

Link's stomach was rumbling mightily so he wasn't about to refuse. He followed the boy, whose name was Reneld, to the latter's home. Reneld's charming young mother, Narla, greeted the forest boy and his fairy and made them welcome in her small abode. She wondered why the child was was not with his parents, but her worries were assuaged as she saw the tender care with which Navi watched over her charge.

When the two boys were finished eating, Reneld was in a hurry to return to his play. Narla caught her son and held the squirming youngster as she scrubbed his face and hands. "Hold still, Ren, darling."

When Ren was clean enough to satisfy her, she released him; he bolted for the door. Link made a move to follow the younger boy, but Navi flew to his ear and whispered something. Link turned back to Narla and uttered a shy farewell.

"Thank you for the lunch, ma'am."

"You're welcome, dear boy!"

Quickly she planted a kiss on his forehead, which was something she had wanted to do since she first laid eyes on him. Link backed away, wondering why women and girls were always trying to do that. He exited the house and followed Ren to the small boy's favorite place to play—the graveyard.

Ren tramped around the graves, occasionally poking his stick into the ground. "I'm gonna dig and dig! Just like Dampé!"

"Who is Dampé?" Link queried.

"He's the gravekeeper. He sleeps in that hut all day and doesn't like to be disturbed." Ren motioned to the wood shack situated in one corner of the quiet graveyard. "When he comes out at night he has this game, but little kids like me can't go on the Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour. Since I can't do that, I'm just imitating Dampé the gravekeeper all day. With my cute face I'm not heart-pounding at all, am I?"

"No," Link agreed. Navi had the urge to laugh over Ren's fixation, but she kept it to herself.

Link played with Ren; they pretended that the latter was Dampé and he had to chase two ghosts from the burial grounds. It was much like a game of hide and seek; Link and Navi hid somewhere and Ren came stalking along, searching for the intruders. Upon spotting them, he chased them away from the tombstones. Navi was small and could find clever hiding places, but her glow invariably betrayed her presence.

They lost track of the time, until a dark shadow fell over them and Ren said he had to return home. Link remained behind, wandering deeper than Ren had been willing to go. The younger boy had recounted tales of ghosts and ever-wandering spirits that emerged in the graveyard in the hours of dusk, but our hero brushed aside all cautions.

The sun sank regretfully below the horizon and Link glanced about, if only for the conviction that Ren's stories were just that, stories. At first all seemed to be well but then a peculiar phenomenon exhibited itself. Spheres of pale light materialized and grew until they bore semblance to pale, purplish-blue flames. The appearance of the flames was unsettling rather than frightening; Link's first thought was that they were unique fairies.

These were spirits that wandered about, prevented from leaving the world by the evil that plagued it. Now they tried to float upwards but crystalline lanterns formed around them and Link glimpsed wraith-like hands that hardly seemed to be there, each holding a lantern. Transparent bodies clothed in equally ghostly rags appeared accompanied by faces so dark they would have blended into the night, if not for the white cloths that covered their heads.

These were the bodies, turned evil by Ganondorf's dark designs, that prevented the souls from going to their heavenly rewards. They menacingly turned their eerily glowing eyes on the green-clad intruder and Link's heart missed several beats. He fled from the creatures but wherever he ran another one found him. In the gloom of the new night he could hardly see where he was going, managed to get all turned about and ended up going into the deeper recesses of the graveyard, rather than towards the exit.

He paused for a few moments to catch his breath when another of the unearthly beings appeared in front of him. Link was ready to bolt again but Navi stopped him.

"Wait, Link. Do you hear that?"

When he listened hard he could just make out a tiny voice crying, "Help me! Help me!"

"It is the spirit trapped inside the poe's lantern!" Navi exclaimed. "It wants you to free it!"

The poe, wildly swinging said lantern, flung itself at Link, who ducked. "How?" he asked.

"Slay my captor," replied the lilliputian voice.

Link took a deep breath and readied his blade; the next pass that the poe made was its last. The boy plunged his sword into the ghostly being, thus snuffing out its already half-dead existence. The lantern that it had been holding fell to the ground and shattered, leaving the flame that was a lost soul. Nothing could break that glass while the poe was alive to hold it, which was why the poe used it to attack trespassers.

The flame-spirit quivered and squeaked, "Thank you, brave traveler! It was me, yet it wasn't me. I didn't want to attack you. That was my body that you killed but when I died evil made it keep me prisoner. Now I am free! Thank you and farewell!" With those words the freed spirit disappeared, leaving Link half-wondering if he was dreaming.

"Well, that was nerve-wracking!" Navi exclaimed. "Now, let's find the way out of here!"

In searching the exit Link dispatched several more poes and received gratitude from the liberated spirits. Then he came to two curious gravestones unlike all the others; one had a sun carved into it and other, a moon. The inscription under the sun read:

_Royal Composer Brothers_

_Sharp the Elder_

_Rest in Peace_

and the words under the moon were identical, save that the name was instead _Flat the Younger_.

Link turned away but then heard another miniscule voice crying out to him. He made an about-face and instantly perceived a pair of poes that had arisen over the two graves. Theses two creatures, however, were different from the others; their clothes, if the ghostly garments could be called that, were elegant and even had gems attached to their robes and round hats. One of the ghosts wore red and the other, green. These poes were larger and more forbidding; in addition to holding the lanterns, in the other hand they each held a white baton. The color of the trapped spirits had a greener hue to them as they trembled and besought Link to free them.

Aside from using their lanterns as blunt weapons, these poes also made thrusts with their batons, which Link learned were sharp when one of them grazed his shoulder. He staggered back a few paces, which turned out to be a Godsend because the other poe stabbed at the air where he had been. Link darted forward and delivered finishing strikes to the two ghosts.

"Gyaaaah! You killed me!" cried the spirit freed from the poe dressed in green.

"He didn't kill us, Flat," reasoned the other. "We are already dead."

"Oh, what? He's not one of Ganondorf's men, is he?"

"He freed us, didn't he? For that, dear adventurer, I thank you most humbly."

"I apologize. Since you have aided us we have a secret which we shall share with you, right Sharp?"

"Quite, but first we must introduce ourselves. Ahem..."

"We are the _ghostly_ Composer Brothers of Kakariko Village."

"All the people in this village are born to serve the Royal Family of Hyrule. We brothers also served the Royal Family and were assigned to study the hereditary mystic powers of the family," Sharp informed Link.

"Though we never could figure out the power of the Triforce, we had almost completed our study of controlling time with the tones of ocarinas."

"Flat, what are you saying?"

"Uh, I mean... Actually, we completed that study! We would have been famous if that hateful Ganondorf had not tried to steal our results!"

"Being famous was only a small part; we could never let him reap the fruits of our research! That is why we gave our lives to protect the secret."

"But you're a fine lad and we will let you possess our fantastic composition."

"Because we were faithful to the Royal Family to the end, we hid our song deep in their burial grounds. You will find it in the furthest reach of their grave. Beware of the undead who dwell in the darkness."

"Use our secret to calm them," was Flat's piece of advice. "Thank you for saving us from that fate worse than death." The flames of the two brothers faded.

"I know what you want to do, Link." Navi sighed resignedly. "Let's go find the secret for which the Composer Brothers died."

The boy sheathed his sword. The heart-pounding terror he had felt when being chased by the poes had worn off and he thought that finding the song would be a simple task. "Thanks, Navi."

"Are you sure you're all right?" she asked.

Link nodded. "They weren't so tough!"

He easily found the gigantic stone that covered the Royal Family's crypt. The worn words etched in the stone bade him to prove his connection to the Royal Family, so he played Zelda's Lullaby. He stared as the great grave marker slid back, revealing a narrow set of stairs that descended into the damp darkness of the earth. The yawning blackness made him think twice about going into it; he mustered his courage and stepped downwards.

The damp underground passage swallowed him as if he were a mouse. Link stumbled on the steep stairs and he placed his hand on the stone wall to steady himself. Navi's efflorescence provided a half-light by which he picked his way through the spiderwebs and pitfalls of the dank crypt. He came to an opening in which lurked the dark shapes of several keese. He jumped as one of them swooped at him.

"It's just a keese, Link. You've seen them before," Navi told him.

He pulled his slingshot from his pouch and planted one of the hard deku seeds squarely between the eyes of that and the rest of the keese. At one end of the room he located a door inscribed with many letters. At his touch it groaned and slid back, revealing more corridor beyond.

He found a few more keese and some rats as he progressed but nothing that fit Sharp's warning about the undead. Then the sound of moans caught the tips of his ears and he was getting closer to them with every step. The creepy noises were made worse as they bounced off the walls; Link shivered involuntarily and Navi, despite her determination not to show fear to her charge, landed on his hair and burrowed under his hat.

Link came upon another room; it was larger than any of the caverns he had yet gone through in the crypt and had a strange, glowing substance pooled in depressions on the floor. It threw light around the area and a horrible smell rose with the columns of cloudiness; both of these were same sickly green as the stuff on the ground. The nasty odor that permeated the air also forced its way into the boy's lungs, making him choke.

Stationed around the icky green messes were some truly frightening creatures; it was from them that the groans that set his backbone to freezing had come. They had human-like bodies, but with so little flesh that they were nearly skeletons, and they stood with their shoulders hunched. They had no faces, or at least none that showed; instead they wore crude masks with two small holes for the eyes and a larger one for the mouth.

Link scurried across the room, picking a path furthest from the redeads and he avoided looking at the horrible monsters. He arrived at the other end of the room quite safely and breathed an immense sigh of relief. Navi emerged from under his hat.

"I'm sorry, Link. I shouldn't have hidden myself away like that. I was frightened, but that's no excuse. The Great Deku Tree would not approve."

"I was sacred too! Don't feel bad Navi."

He went through one more passageway and reached a dead end. Pools of the odoriferous green stuff lay on either side of a narrow path that led to an impressive stone carved with letters. Link approached it and read the worn hylian.

"'_This poem is dedicated to the memory of the dearly departed members of the Royal Family. _

_The rising sun will eventually set,_

_A newborn's life will fade._

_From sun to moon, moon to sun..._

_Give peaceful rest to the living dead.'"_

"This is an interesting poem, eh Link?" Navi said and then pointed below the large letters he had been reading. "Look! There's something inscribed on the tombstone! Why, it's the secret melody of the Composer Brothers!"

Link pulled Saria's gift from his pocket and put it up to his lips. After several tries he had it memorized and could play it with ease. He tucked away the ocarina and gazed once more upon the tombstone.

"There's something else," he realized. "'_Restless souls wander where they don't belong. Bring them calm with the Sun's Song.' _Are those the undead things we saw out there, Navi?"

"Yes, Link. They are redeads. Flat told us we could calm them with the song, remember?"

"I'll play it as soon as I go back out there."

Link shivered slightly at the thought of having to go past the creatures again but he felt less frightened because he knew the Sun's Song. When he returned to the room in which he'd seen the redeads, much to his dismay, they had vanished. He glanced around uneasily. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know. Be very careful, Link."

Link again scampered from whence he had come, occasionally throwing a glance over his shoulder to make sure that nothing sneaked up behind him. He should have been paying more attention to what was in front of him. As he neared the exit he did not see the shadows that twitched ahead of him. The only sound in the tomb was the soft patter of Link's hurried steps; it was an ominous quiet.

Suddenly a bone-chilling scream filled the dank air. "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeayh!"

Link jumped, his heart palpitating. Foolishly he glanced in the direction from which the shriek had come and met the hollow eyes of a redead. It screamed several more times and he was paralyzed as he stared into those terrible holes of living death. Another of the creatures jumped on his back and placed around his throat fingers as chilling as the screams that froze the marrow in his bones.

"Link! Don't look at them!" Navi shouted.

Link dropped his eyes and regained the ability to move. He struggled weakly against the clammy hands that were squeezing the air from him. Navi flung herself mercilessly into the masked faces. Distracted, the redeads turned their attention on her and Link slipped out of the choking grasp the one held on him. Fear lent him speed as he half-staggered, half-ran towards the stairs, with Navi flying after him.

What a welcome sight was the appearance of the glittering, whispering stars over Link's head! He scurried up the stairs as speedily as he could on legs trembling with stark fear, but it was not quick enough. A hand gripped his ankle and made him topple. His head hit the unforgiving stone steps, making dark spots float in front of his eyes.

The redead, for that is what had grabbed him, transferred its strangle-hold to his throat. He tried to kick out and struggle against the creature cutting off his air supply, but he could not make his limbs move. The whole world fell away from him and he knew nothing more.

The next thing Link could remember was that he was lying on something soft and Navi was floating over him anxiously. His head ached and his throat felt funny; if he had been able to get a glimpse at himself he would have seen that his neck was quite bruised. He didn't even notice the cloth tied around the inconsequential cut on his shoulder.

Navi landed on his chest. "Oh, Link! I'm so glad to see you awake! It was all my fault! I should never have let you go into that horrible place!" she wept.

His heart gave a great twinge as he glimpsed tiny, sparkling tears fall from her eyes and splash on his tunic. "Don't cry, Navi. It's not your..."

He stopped abruptly as an ugly face came into his peripheral vision. Not knowing to whom it belonged, he jumped up painfully and instantly wished he hadn't. His head spun and a pair of hands gently pushed him back on the bed. The face appeared above him, though he could hardly see it for the fog that clouded his swirling senses.

"You mustn't be afraid of me, little boy," an unfamiliar, rusty-sounding voice assured him.

"Link, this is Dampé. He saved you from the redeads!" Navi added. "He's been taking care of you."

The hands placed a cold cloth on his forehead and the young hero relaxed. The throbbing in his head lessened until it just ached. Being careful not to move too suddenly, he took another look at his rescuer. Dampé's back was permanently hunched, his large head was bald, his left eyelid sagged, his nose was too big, and his chin jutted out, showing missing teeth.

Dampé noticed the boy's eye on him. "I'm not a pretty sight, am I?"

"N-no," Link admitted, looking the gravekeeper in the eye, "but I don't care. You saved my life."

"I can tell we're going to get along very well," Dampé chuckled. "The reason why I live here and don't mix with the villagers is because most people cannot stand to look at me. Now, young one, suppose you tell me what you were doing here at that time of night."

"I was playing with Ren from the village, and when he went home I stayed here. I met the Composer Brothers and they told me they had hidden their special song deep in the Royal Family's tomb, so I went to look for it. I was okay at first, but then those monsters, they..." Link started shivering uncontrollably. The terror he had experienced still seemed all too real.

Navi nestled against Link's cheek. "There, there," she crooned. "You're safe, Link. The redeads cannot hurt you now. Don't tremble so."

"That's right. When I saw the monster choking you, you were just as limp as a rag doll. So I just whacked it over the head will my shovel until it was dead. Another one came towards me, but I gave it the same. Then I took you to my humble abode, and here we are."

"You should try to get some sleep now," Navi said. "You'll feel better tomorrow."

Link obeyed and closed his eyes. Singing softly, Navi calmed him into sleep with his favorite tune; chosen as such because it was Zelda's Lullaby. Once he was slumbering peacefully, she nestled in his hair for her night's rest, while Dampé slipped outside to take up his rounds of the graveyard.

Kindhearted Dampé graciously invited Link to stay and rest in his tiny home for a couple of days, until the boy recovered his strength. During that time they became two of the unlikeliest of friends. Dampé may have seemed gruff and hideous on the outside, but within that homely mask was a pure soul. To Link he was like a grandfather, at whose feet he could lay all his troubles. Dampé listened intently to Link, imparted sage advice, and consoled him in his troubles. During his adventures, the growing hero frequently returned to Kakariko Village to visit his friend.

During Link's stay, Dampé asked him about his quest and Link replied blushingly, "Princess Zelda gave me the task of finding the two remaining Spiritual Stones." Dampé learned from this that his young friend had quite a crush on the fair princess.

Once again ready to travel, Link departed from Dampé for a time. On the way to Death Mountain he met Ren's father, Lerral, whose task it was to guard the gate. Lerral laughed at Link's insistence of being on an important quest, but let him pass when the boy produced the princess's letter.

* * *

After completing Dodongo's Cavern, Link recounted to Dampé his experiences at Death Mountain and gave a demonstration of the lovely explosions made by his newly-discovered bombs. "The gorons are very rough and friendly!" Link exclaimed, as Dampé applied a bag of ice to the child's bruised head (a result of Darunia's enthusiasm).

Link traveled to Castle Town and borrowed the masks offered to him by the Happy Mask Salesman. Each one he showed off to Dampé before he tracked down the person who had a desire for it. Lerral he made happy by presenting the popular Keaton Mask.

"My boy will be very happy with this! I want to give it to him for his birthday. You really are Mr. Hero! Wha ha ha hah!" Lerral grinned.

Link liked the Skull Mask because it was so scary. He found for it a perfect owner, the Skull Kid who wanted to make fiercer his face.

The Spooky Mask had not quite the frightening appearance of the previous one. Dampé told Link that it gave him the shivers because it was made out of a plank from a coffin. While wearing the mask, Link met Ren again.

"Gyaah! It's Dampé the gravekeeper!" Ren cried in surprise and half-fright. "Oh, it's just a mask. I get a different kid of fright from that mask than I get from Dampé... Will you give that mask to me?"

Link hesitated, wondering if Dampé would approve.

"I really do have some money, you know," Ren added. "I asked my daddy to get me a Keaton Mask, but I want this one even more!"

"Okay," Link agreed and took off the mask to give it to Ren.

"With this mask, I'll be just like Dampé! Here's my money."

Later, Link repeated Ren's words to Dampé, who laughed heartily. "Link, m'lad, there is a saying that goes, 'Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.' I take the boy's words as quite a compliment."

The next time Link's path crossed with Ren's, the older boy asked, "Would you like to meet Dampé?"

"Oooh, I would be too scared!" Ren exclaimed.

"He's very kind. He saved my life," Link hurried to assure him.

"Well, maybe when I'm just a little bit older. If I was six, I think I could be brave enough for that. My birthday is in a month, you know."

* * *

Slightly damp was Link when he came to Dampé after venturing inside Jabu Jabu. "The Zora Princess was bossy but in the end she gave me her Spiritual Stone. I like her, even though she's a girl. She didn't mind going into Jabu Jabu at all. She tried to kiss me but I didn't let her!"

A short time later, a crestfallen Link returned to the graveyard. "Ganondorf attacked Hyrule Castle!" Link cried. "Zelda is safe because Impa took her her away. Zelda threw this to me." Link held out the item he had kept clutched in his hands the whole time.

"It's a beautiful instrument. The Ocarina of Time, isn't it?"

"Uh-huh. She entrusted it to me. She left a message for me, saying that I had to open the Door of Time. I'm scared, Dampé!"

"You've been afraid before, haven't you?" Dampé questioned.

"Uh-huh."

The old gravekeeper continued, "I've noticed something about you, Link. You may be as frightened as anyone could be, but you have the courage to do what you know you should do. None of the villagers dare to come to this graveyard after dark, but you spent half the night here. Very few people would have even thought of venturing into the Royal Family's Tomb, as you did. You've fought monsters and aided many people. I'm proud of you. Never forget that, m'lad!"

The little hero drew a deep breath. "Thanks, Dampé. I'll do my best."

"You come back to see me after you take care of your task, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!" Link replied, grinning.

He wrapped his arms around Dampé in a brief embrace and then pulled back, feeling a bit sheepish. Without another word, he ran off. He paused at the entrance of the graveyard, waved and was gone. Neither he or Dampé knew it, but many things would change before the two of them met again.

* * *

_I shall update with _Part II: The Adult Meeting_ in a week's time._


	2. Part II: The Adult Meeting

_As I promised, here is Part II. I hope my humble work will entertain you._

Part II: The Adult Meeting

Transported back to the Temple of Time after speaking with Rauru, Link looked at the Master Sword, which he held in his hand. Navi spoke, breaking the stillness. "Link... We're back in the Temple of Time...but have seven years really passed?"

"I don't know..." was Link's absent reply. His mind was still churning over everything with which the Light Sage had informed him.

"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time..."

Link spun, whipping the sword from its sheath. Before him stood a stranger clothed in white and blue with a scarlet Sheikah eye on the chest, and whose face was partly obscured by a cowl and loose, golden hair. This mysterious visitor introduced himself as Sheik, survivor of the Sheikah. The masked youth informed Link about what he had to do and where he had to go.

"You should head to Kakariko Village," Sheik said.

"I will. Thank you," replied Link.

At the mention of the nearby village, the now grown-up hero thought of Dampé. Anxious to know how Dampé fared and remembering the words which the keeper of the graves had last spoken to him, Link withdrew hastily from the Temple of Time. He stopped short in what used to be Castle Town's Market, which was in extreme disrepair and was populated not with citizens, but a dreaded enemy—redeads.

Link paled. Returning to him was terror he had felt when the redeads ambushed him inside the crypt; it seemed as real as if he had just escaped from them. His heart hammered inside his chest like a deluge on a roof while he battled with himself; his panic-stricken emotions told him to turn back while his reason told him that he could get past these enemies.

At last his good sense won and he forced his feet to take him towards the exit, faster than he'd ever dashed before, owing partly to his lengthier legs. He was ashamed of himself for being such a poor excuse for a hero; he was sure that Dampé, had he seen Link, would have frowned at his young friend's cowardice. Only when he was safely away from the lifeless marketplace did he remember the Sun's Song and it's effect on the undead.

Link passed over the fallen drawbridge and continued to Kakariko Village in a sprint. At the forefront of the village was a tree, at which two former citizens of Castle Town were having a conversation, if it could be called that. One man seemed to be having trouble keeping his mirth contained and the other was nearly pleading for his companion to believe him. What caught Link's attention was the mention of Dampé.

"...I saw the ghostly figure of Dampé the gravekeeper sinking into his grave!" exclaimed one fellow.

Seeing Link, the other man chuckled and said, "Look at this guy! Ever since he escaped from Hyrule Castle Town, he's become even more timid!"

Link did not respond. He shook inwardly as he listened to the words about his friend. They said Dampé was dead! It couldn't be, yet there was a gnawing feeling inside of him that told him it was quite true. The other words passed by his ears unheard and he rushed off for the graveyard. Once there, he searched wildly for new graves. He stopped short as he glimpsed the name on one of them. It read:

_Here lies Dampé, _

_faithful keeper of Kakariko graves for twenty years._

_Rest In Peace_

"Oh no!" Link moaned. "He's dead! Dampé is dead!" He felt like breaking down and bawling right there, but Navi wouldn't let him.

"Link you can move this grave and get inside."

Unshed tears stinging his eyes, Link pushed the slab until he uncovered a set of stairs leading into dark depths. Normally he would have balked about entering the place, but with his anguish over Dampé and hoping above all hopes that he would find the bent old man within, he descended the stairs with celerity.

At first, everything was dark and motionless around Link, save for Navi's soft glow, when a familiar voice echoed through the crypt. "Heh heh heh! Young man, are you fast on your feet? I may be a ghost but I'm confident in my speed! Let's have a race! Follow me if you dare!" A flame appeared, landing in front of Link.

Link instantly knew that it was from Dampé's own lips that those words came. "Wait!" the hero called, but no response came. He only thing he could see, aside from the flame and the things that it exposed in its glow, was a white circlet that moved ahead of him.

Another flame appeared and fell to the ground; this one was several feet from the first one. A third one materialized and Link understood what he was supposed to do. Dampé was leading him somewhere, using the flames he threw as a guide. The large underground area was as dark as the belly of a whale and Navi's radiance was a mere drop in the bucket of darkness; the many twisting corridors were filled with dank air that smelled of utter evil.

As they progressed, Link shivered, not only because of the cold that seeped into any living thing's bones, but he heard the chilling moans which had led him into trouble in another crypt. In the dim, echo-filled place, his imagination conjured all sorts of things. What if the redeads ambushed him again? Why did the groans sound as if they were coming from all around him? What had happened to Dampé and why was he leading Link to somewhere unknown, without even saying hello? What if it wasn't Dampé, but a poe leading him to the redeads so they could kill him? Link tried to push away all the alarming thoughts, reassuring himself that Dampé had spoken to him and that the acoustics of the place made it inordinately creepy.

He passed through several doors, though he didn't realize it until he nearly jumped out of his skin as they dropped back in place behind him. He tripped over something and scuttled away when he glimpsed the obstacle—a pile of bones. Navi perched on his shoulder, whispering comforting things in his ear. She felt the terror that consumed him and in her attempts to quell it, she also subdued her own unease.

After a few timeless minutes of frightful, nearly blind passage through the crypt, the weak, flickering light from a couple of torches grew as Link came into room in which they were stationed. Before him lay a yawning pit, over which the faint shape of the ghostly Dampé floated. To Link's left was a thin ledge; he tremblingly edged onto it and made his way to the other side of the void with the greatest of care.

Seeing that Link was safely across, Dampé concluded his silent journey as he led the young man through another door and into a small room that had not the feeling of evil in it. The most prominent thing about it was the two torches which burned with nearly crimson flames that flickered little and made even less noise. The ghostly figure turned to his friend and spoke.

"Oh, Link! Link, my boy, these old eyes thought they'd never see you again!"

Link fell to his knees, trying to calm both the ragged breaths that made his lungs ache, and his palpitating heart, which beat like a drum resounding in his ears. He stared at the former gravekeeper and gasped, "Dampé...how? Wh-what has happened to you?"

In some respects Dampé had changed little while in others he was quite different. His back was still hunched, his face was as hideous as ever, and he wore the same grungy, torn overalls, but his skin was the color of ashes and his whole being was slightly transparent. In his hand he held a lantern identical to those carried by poes, except his had no trapped spirit. Over his head was the softly glowing circlet that had shone through the darkness as Link followed him.

"It's a sad tale, m'lad, which I shall tell you in due time. For now, rest and catch your runaway breath. You are quite safe here."

Link drew several great gulps of air and Navi spoke. "We were very worried about you, and when we saw your grave..."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I tried to fight, but I couldn't win. It was all because— No, first you must tell me about what has kept you away for these seven years."

"When Link opened the Door of Time and pulled the Master Sword which slept within, he was sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven years. He couldn't yet be the Hero of Time until he grew up," Navi reported.

"When I came out, everything had changed," Link related, shivering. "The marketplace was destroyed and filled with redeads. I didn't want to go past them!"

"Yet you did. I knew I had good reason to be proud of you!"

"How can you be? I was not brave. I was a coward!"

"What else could you do? If you had not run you could have been caught in their stares and fighting them would have been quite foolish. I was attacked by a great many redeads in the graveyard nearly three years ago. I should have tried to escape, but instead I tried to kill them. There were too many and they overcame me. It was the last thing I ever did in the world of the living. Now I am imprisoned within this tomb."

"Oh, Dampé, no! I should have been here! I could have protected you against them, as you once did for me! I-I-I..." Link sobbed.

His face filled with distress, Dampé floated towards Link and tried to embrace the young man, momentarily forgetting that he no longer could touch the things of the world. He forgot his lantern; it fell to the ground, yet remained whole. Not knowing what else to do, he floated there, wringing his spectral hands. Gulping sobs forced themselves from Link's throat and his shoulders shook as he tried to suppress them. What a thing—to see a nearly-grown man weeping as if he were a small child!

Navi tried to console her charge; she pressed her small body against his cheek and murmured things to him. "It's not your fault, Link. You could not have stopped it."

Dampé too tried to assuage the grief of his young friend. "You mustn't fret over me. You don't know what a fortunate ghost I am! My spirit could have been trapped in a lantern and my jailer a creature infused with hate. Instead I have the freedom of wandering in this tomb. It's much more spacious than one of the lanterns, I assure you!"

A half-strangled laugh escaped Link; he raised his tear-filled eyes to meet Dampé's and whispered, "I don't want you to be dead!"

"Oh Link, m'lad, I don't like being dead either. So many things have happened while you've been away, but now that you're here, I know you're going to rid us of the evil that haunts us."

"Do-do you think I can?"

"I know you can. Do you remember what I told you when last we met?"

Link nodded. He recalled the conversation as if it had happened just the day before; to him it seemed as though it had.

"I told you that I am most fortunate to be down here, unlike most of the spirits of the departed, but I am still a prisoner. This whole crypt is filled with redeads and poes lurk just outside. If in their patrols the poes mistakenly let someone slip inside, then the redeads will kill any intruder. That is why I had you follow me to this room where the holy flames burn; the redeads will not come here and so there is no threat to you here. If you had remained at the entrance steps or started to wander through the tomb, they would have slain you."

Link shivered.

"However, that is not my point. You must know that I'm placing my hopes in you. You have great courage, Link, courage to fight that which ails Hyrule. Only when you have accomplished this will we be free from our earthly prisons. Now, dry your eyes and I'll show you something good."

Link did as Dampé bid him; he pulled from his pocket a white cotton square and dried his eyes. Navi, whose clothes were soaked from tears the size of her head, shook herself and used a corner of his handkerchief. Dampé floated to a box in a corner and Link followed.

"This contains my treasure. I've kept it here for years and now I want you to have it. It is called the hookshot."

Link opened it and pulled from within a strange object. On one end was was a handle and a little button; on the opposite end was a large arrowhead attached to a thin chain that would shoot out when the spring inside the main body released it. It was gray, blue and purple, Dampé had kept the metal shining, and it had a good weight to it—not light enough to be flimsy and not so heavy that Link couldn't move it easily with one hand—so he could tell it was a fine item.

"Try it out, m'lad! It's really quite fun!" Dampé urged him.

"What do I try it on?"

"Aim for that torch over there. The hookshot works best on wood."

Link pointed the item as Dampé directed; he pressed the button and the spring launched the arrowhead, which dug into the wood base of the torch. Link released the pressure on the button and found himself flying forward as the chain recoiled back into the body of the hookshot. He collided with the torch and since it was rooted firmly, he was the one to give way.

"Link!" Navi cried. She was by his side in a second. "Are you all right? Speak to me!"

He opened his mouth, but couldn't seem to make the words come out. He put a hand to his chest and nodded.

After glancing at Link, Dampé consoled her. "He's fine! You just had your breath knocked out of you, didn't you m'lad?"

"Y-yes, that-that's it," Link replied, once he had found his air again. He gasped a few more breaths and grinned. "That was fun! I could do it better if I had some practice!"

"It's yours, my boy! I'm sure you'll find it quite useful in your quest."

Link turned to his mentor and declared in a low, serious voice, "Thank you, Dampé. I shall find the evil and rid this land of it for you, for the people of Castle Town, for Princess Zelda, for everyone!"

"Where is the princess?" Dampé inquired.

Link's cheeks grew two shades redder and he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from his feet. "I-I don't know. I'm sure I'll find her... I have to!"

"Mmm-hmm. Well, let me guide you towards the outside again. You can visit me anytime by using the same route."

Dampé picked up his lantern and floated effortlessly to the far side of the room, where Link saw door which, at first glance, just seemed part of the walls but was distinguishable with closer examination. Link followed him through a short corridor and noticed that Navi's glow seemed to be brighter; his idea was that the air in the other part of the tomb was so oppressively corrupt that she couldn't make her glow as bright as it usually was. They reached a flight of stairs and Dampé halted.

"I must leave you here. An invisible barrier blocks the way of any dead who try to pass. Go safely and Godspeed, m'lad!"

"I'll be coming back," Link promised and bounded up the steps.

Coming into the light again, he found himself in the windmill of Kakariko Village. He pushed aside a few obstacles that blocked the hole from which he had emerged and saw the great wheel of the mill churning. He exited the building and thought about his next move. He remembered what Sheik told him in the Temple of Time and he headed for the forest.

* * *

Many times during the course of his journey, Link made faithful visits the dear friend who cared for him as a father would. Link described to Dampé everything about his adventures, from finding old friends and surviving the traps and hordes of enemies that filled the temples, to riding Epona and continually meeting the strange personage who introduced himself as Sheik.

With every step of the young man's journey, Dampé saw quite clearly that Link was growing and learning; he was earning his title as the Hero of Time. Watching this made Dampé most gratified; if he had been alive, no other man could match the great pride he rested in his adopted son. One thing that taught Link a valuable and painful lesson involved Dampé.

When Link learned that he would have to return to his original time in the course of his quest, he made a beeline for Dampé, his face aglow with an unspoken hope. He descended the stairs at such a rate that he stumbled and fell the remainder of the steps. Undeterred, he stood, brushed his tunic once and hurried to the room of the holy flames.

"Link, m'lad, I'm glad to see you again! What has excited you so?"

"I can go back!" Link exclaimed, his breath coming in spurts. "I can go back in time seven years! I could save you Dampé!"

"What's that?!"

"Sheik told me I can go back in time seven years and then I had an idea. I could save you Dampé!"

"How?"

"Well, I could tell someone about the redeads that will attack you, or maybe I could wait through the years until it happened!"

"Oh, my boy!" Dampé sighed, placing his ghostly hand over his equally spectral face. "I would like nothing better than to have my life returned to me, but I feel sure that you could not prevent it. If you told anyone about it, he could forget, or die, or if he tried to rescue me he might get killed too. It would be most unwise to wait for my death—it would be over four years. There must have been a reason that you were kept in the Sacred Realm. If you were out in the world you may have been killed or been discovered by Ganondorf. You must forget this idea of yours."

"But I don't want to! I'm willing to sacrifice anything to get you back!"

Dampé fastened his fierce expression on the young man. "Link have you forgotten everyone else? Are you willing to risk your life just to save one person? No, if you have to return to that time, do it only because it will further your quest."

Link's eyes found his boots and his appearance betokened coming tears, but he held them back. "I understand," he whispered.

"The best thing you can do is deliver us from Ganondorf and his monsters. The living will once again have peace and the dead will finally be able to rest."

"I will find the way," Link vowed, trying to keep the disappointment from his voice.

After leaving Dampé, a dispirited Link realized that he needed more supplies. As he was about to enter the small shop in Kakariko Village, he beheld a boy a few feet away. At first glance he seemed just a dirty, scrawny, dejected little fellow, but Link knew he had seen him before. He thought for a moment and then realized who the boy was.

"Ren!" Link called.

The boy's head shot up. "Who are you?" he asked defensively.

"I'm Link. Don't you remember me?"

"Oh, you," was Ren's dull response. "Yes, I remember."

"What has happened to you, Ren?"

"Can't you tell? I don't have a home any longer!"

"What about your parents?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because you're my friend."

Ren eyed him warily and after a moment of thought, replied grudgingly, "My father was killed in the fight against Ganondorf, and my mother died from loneliness for him and hunger. I am alone now."

"Oh! I'm very sorry, Ren..."

"'You're sorry!' That's what everyone says! No one cares and no one knows what it's like!"

"I do. I'm an orphan, too."

"You are? Really?" Ren turned to Link with interest in his eyes.

"I believe my father was killed in the civil war. My mother escaped from it when I was a baby and took me to the forest. She was gravely wounded and the only thing she could do was entrust me to the Great Deku Tree, who was the guardian of the forest. I lived with the Kokiri but I always knew I was not one of them. They all had guardian fairies, except me. Some of the children were mean to me and played tricks on me, but one girl, Saria, was my friend, my best friend."

By then Ren's eyes were glued on Link and his own troubles were temporarily erased from his mind. "But you have a fairy now," he interjected.

"Navi came to me on the day that my adventure started. The Great Deku Tree sent her to me and I was nervous..."

In a humble light did Link recount his adventures but despite belittling his bravery, the younger boy held him in high regard. When Link finished his story, Ren's eyes were the size of cucco eggs.

"Wow!" Ren murmured. "You're the bravest person I've ever heard of! I would have been so scared if I had to fight those huge monsters and go in all those dark places!"

"Don't you think I was frightened?"

"How could you be? You're fearless!"

"I was scared out of my wits every time I fought one of those giant monsters. Even the small ones made me jumpy. As Dampé has always told me, 'Being brave is not about being unafraid. Being brave is doing what you're scared to do.'"

"Ohhh." Ren was quiet as he digested the thought.

Link had been turning something around in his mind and he came to a decision. "Come on, Ren."

"Where?"

"We're going to get some dinner."

"You don't have to do that. I'm not so hungry."

"I'm going to buy some food and you can have as little or as much as you wish."

Ren accompanied Link, who used many rupees of small denomination to buy a meal at the inn. Ren did not want to admit that he was starving, but Link noticed how he gulped his cup of milk. While they waited for their food, Ren fidgeted and although he sneaked many glances toward the kitchen, he pretended that he wasn't interested if the victuals arrived at all.

When they had before them plates of steaming food, though it was humble fare, Ren gobbled his as if he were a newly-hatched chick. Link offered the generous half that remained of his dinner and the younger boy, seized with the mind-numbing desire for more, wolfed that too.

"I guess I was hungrier than I thought," Ren admitted when he had done everything but lift the plate to his face and lick it.

"Feeling better now?" Link questioned.

"Oh, yes!" Ren grinned and rubbed his stomach.

Link stood. "Wait here for a minute. I'll be right back."

He strode over to the innkeeper and spoke to him. The man appeared doubtful and called his wife; Link repeated his story and her face softened. She said something to Link and when he nodded, she glanced at Ren. She and her husband seemed to be deciding something; Ren was straining his ears to hear anything but couldn't manage it. He was leaning halfway out of his chair when the three of them walked over to the table. Ren bounced to his feet.

"Can you work?" demanded the innkeeper roughly.

"Of course I can work!" Ren replied indignantly.

"Now, Karn, don't be so hard on him. He's just a boy!" admonished the lady. "My dear, how would you like to stay here? I must say, you need some regular meals!"

"You want me?" Ren asked, incredulous.

"Of course we do!" she assured him. She elbowed her husband.

"We want you to stay," was his gruff admission, "but you have to help out around here."

"Then I will!" Ren exclaimed. He was having great trouble keeping his emotions from escaping and a couple of tears slid from his eyes.

"You'll be fine now," the innkeeper's wife declared, her own eyes spilling over with salty droplets.

Ren turned to the young man to whom he would feel forever indebted. "Thank you, Link! Thank you so much—for being my friend."

"It's nothing you wouldn't do for me, eh?"

Link left the inn, satisfied that Karn and his wife would care for Ren. He told himself that asking the couple to look after the orphan was the only way that he could continue his quest without worrying himself about the boy whom he thought of as a younger brother. He failed to realize that aiding Ren dulled the sharp pain from the dashing of his hopes about Dampé.

Unnoticed by everyone and seated at a table in a corner, a patron of the inn had been watching the entire scene. A girl, clothed in a frothy dress the color of milk and sporting a knee-length braid of such a pale color that it seemed white, wiped tears from her dark eyes.

* * *

Link's journeys were arduous; his wounds would heal and his fear he would forget, but he could never accustom himself to the idea of being the great hero that he felt was expected of him. He pushed himself to great limits, always thinking that a real hero could do better. Many a time Navi had to put her foot down and make him pause for a rest.

He confided everything in Dampé who, as he had seven years earlier, gave all his attention to his young friend. Each time Link descended the steps into the haven in the great tomb, a sigh escaped him; visiting Dampé always relaxed him. He almost grew to like the chilly room; even though he often sneezed, the holy flames kept him from feeling the full effects of the dampness.

With each sage Link awakened, Dampé was glad, and yet he had one regret. More than anything, he wanted Hyrule to be set right again, but when he finally went to his long-deserved rest he could not receive visits from his adopted son. He spoke not of his thoughts to Link. The day came at last when an agitated Link hurried to Dampé and reported that he had seen the princess.

"Sheik was really Zelda in disguise! She revealed her true identity to me and presented me with the sacred light arrow. Then I heard Ganondorf's voice; he imprisoned her in a crystal and took her away. I could do nothing to rescue her!"

"What are you going to do now?"

"I must go to the castle and face him. I'm not sure how I'm going to get inside; between me and the entrance is a great pit of lava."

"You'll find a way, Link. I know you. I have faith in you."

"I, too, know you can do it," Navi added, "and I'm sure that Princess Zelda is counting on you."

"Thank you. I-I can't do this by myself."

"Link, m'lad, you've made me the proudest, happiest ghost there ever was! I always thought of you as my son and no father could have a finer one! Now, go show Ganondorf that no one can mess with Dampé's boy!"

Link bid Dampé farewell and solemnly ascended the stairs. He was nearly out of Kakariko Village when a boyish voice assailed him.

"Wait, Link!" Ren called, dashing towards the hero.

Link arrested his departure and the younger boy caught up to him. "You sure travel!" Ren gasped. "I thought I mightn't reach you!"

"I'm sorry. My mind was on something else. What do you want?"

"I've heard people saying a lot of thing about you. Are you going to fight Ganondorf?"

"Yes, Ren. I have to stop him."

"I know you will. You're so brave! I-I made this for you. Innkeeper Karn helped me."

Ren withdrew his hand from behind his back and held out his gift, a wooden mask. It was rough, slightly crooked, and was far from the work of an expert. Link held out his palm and Ren placed it there; the hero gazed at it intently.

"I know it's not much but I hope you like it," Ren said, dragging his foot back and forth across the path.

"It means more to me than you'll ever know. Thank you, Ren."

The boy nodded and grinned. "Innkeeper Karn and his wife are good to me. I help them all I can, even with the nasty chores. It is all thanks to you."

Ren darted away and Link remained rooted there for a while longer, smiling. He tucked the mask into his magical pouch and departed Kakariko Village without giving it a backward glance. He headed straight for the castle, Ganondorf and Princess Zelda.

* * *

_Coming up next is _Part III: What Happened After_._


	3. Part III: What Happened After

_Here I am again, with the third and final part. I should like to thank _The M.H.T. of R_ for reviewing. Enjoy!  
_

Part III: What Happened After

"Link, you've done it!" Dampé exclaimed, though he was alone with the holy flames. "I'm free!"

He felt as though invisible bonds were falling from him, making him so light that he floated upwards. He passed through the stone enclosure of the tomb, through the soil, and towards the heavens. Countless other souls, invisible to the mortal eye, rose with him. As he was drawn further and further up, Dampé glimpsed Link and a beautiful young woman alone in the ruins of the black tower.

"Godspeed, m'lad," Dampé murmured and he was gone from the world.

* * *

Hundreds of years later, on an often overlooked island somewhere in the great sea, a small red boat glided to the shore. From it hopped a young lad dressed in green and wearing a floppy hat with a pointed end. He had been sailing over the waters; when he spotted the flat island, he decided to explore it and take a brief break from his travels. He looked it over in a glance and noticed a shabby cottage partly hidden by palm trees. He was strolling toward it when a boy raced to him.

"Hello!" he piped. "My name is Ren. What's yours?"

"I'm Link. Do you live here?"

"Uh huh. Are you...are you _him_?"

"Who?"

"The one in my grandpa's stories. He wore a green tunic and hat, and he had a wonderful sword, just like you do!"

Link didn't know what to say. He felt rather foolish.

"Come on! You have to meet my grandpa!"

Ren grabbed Link's hand and darted for the cottage. They entered the house; at first Link could see nothing, having been in direct sunlight, but as his eyes adjusted he glanced about the room. A couple of windows allowed a portion of the sun's rays into the room and a large black kettle simmered over the soft glow in the fireplace. Dishes, toys, and books were in their places; it all reminded Link of his own home. Seated at a table scattered with bits of wood and shavings was a man with white beard and hair. He glanced up at the boys when they entered and his eyes grew wide as he beheld Link.

"Oh, my! Oh, my! I never thought..." he muttered to himself.

"Grandpa, this is Link. He just arrived here. Don't you think he looks just like the hero in your stories?"

"Yes, Ren. He looks exactly like the one whose story our ancestors have passed to us," the old man agreed. He beckoned to Link. "Come here, lad."

Being a child taught to obey his elders, an embarrassed Link stepped over to Ren's grandfather. "Yes, sir?"

"Were do you come from?"

"I am from Outset Island. I lived there with my grandma and sister, until a giant bird came..." Link's brow furrowed and he told his story.

When Link was finished, the elderly man was intrigued. "You are on a great quest, just like the hero who befriended one of our ancestors, back when Ganondorf first took over Hyrule. That story has been passed faithfully through the generations of our family. It all started when the Great Deku Tree summoned a boy about your age..."

Ren's grandfather related the adventures of the Hero of Time. Link listened with eyes that grew wider until they were the size of the pebbles that sometimes washed up on the beach.

"Wow! He was brave!" Link exclaimed when the tale was complete. "I couldn't be so courageous!"

The man with hair of white smiled as if he knew a secret.

"I'm named after the Ren from the story!" the younger boy piped. "Isn't that so, grandpa?"

"Yes, my boy. It too has been kept alive in our family."

From beneath the bed Ren pulled a box of wood with a transparent top. "Look at this!"

"It—it's a mask," Link stated. He was expecting something more than the decrepit wooden mask that lay beneath the glass.

"It is a very special mask," the aged man maintained. "It is the mask which the Hero of Time traded to our ancestor. He treasured it as long as he was alive and we have kept it all these centuries."

* * *

Back in his own era, the Hero of Time was overjoyed to see Dampé alive and caring for the graveyard. The hunchbacked man understood not why Link gripped him in a fierce embrace, but when the boy told him everything that had happened, he believed the story. Ren was again the cheery youngster who wanted to be like Dampé, who resisted when his mother wanted to make him clean, and thanked his soldier father for a wonderful birthday present.

Link kept the gift that the older Ren had presented to him. In his travels he collected many fine masks but he always regarded the unfinished wooden one as an invaluable treasure. Many decades later, the man with the untamed eyes of a wolf had tucked away on a shelf in his basement a wooden mask, worn smooth by the countless small hands that had played with it.

~Fin~

_Now that it's finished, what do you think? Feel free to tell me; I won't bite, you know—very hard. Hehe..._

_If you liked this story, you may want to check out my others._


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